Regional voters express their concerns

TONY EASTLEY: Tony Abbott would like what he sees and hears in Western Australia - from where we're broadcasting from this morning. People here feel like they are different and voting patterns certainly back this up.

They often vote conservative and buck national trends. In 2007 while much of the country voted for Labor and Kevin Rudd, WA went the other way and didn't even give Labor a majority of the two party preferred vote.

In the state election in 2008 there was a 4 per cent swing against Labor. If that was repeated today it would be a disaster for Labor's paper thin margins in two seats.

As part of this AM national road trip we're keen to know if city and regional voters share the same concerns. In advance we've had ABC reporters and local radio staff go out and ask people in regional centres what issues, local and national, are important to them.

This is what some of them had to say in the Pilbara.

JODIE ELLISTON: My name is Jodie Elliston, I live in Karratha and I work for the Shire of Roebourne.

REPORTER: What is one local issue that you are interested in this election?

JODIE ELLISTON: Definitely health for me. Yeah, definitely health and getting some higher provision of services and things like that in Karratha.

ALAN: I am Alan from Karratha. We own the Pilbara Echo - the service workers accommodation. We really need somewhere for our staff to live. At the moment we are struggling to get people to stay with us. Definitely the same issue would be relevant - to get some federal funding to have people move up here would be fantastic.

ASIA: My name is Asia. I am from Cairns and living in Karratha at the moment working in hospitality. I think the environment in Karratha is a really important one up here for the Australian outback. I think asylum seekers is a big issue at the moment and I don't think they are doing enough to deal with that.

DONNA KELLY: Donna Kelly, Millers Well, Karratha. I think we really need if we are talking about Pilbara cities is to get specialists up here to cater for the people here and the 50,000 that will be here in a few years time. Interested to see how the mining tax rent issue works out. I don't know which way I want it to go but I think it is a really interesting one especially if you are here and it all becomes a little bit real.

LEA CANNE: Lea Canne from Karratha, a mother. I used to work in childcare. I just reckon like they need to lower the prices of everything. It is so expensive and you can be in the mines but you are still struggle. It is just insane, isn't it bubba? We need more money for toys.

CHILD: Yeah.

TONY EASTLEY: What about elsewhere, say the Kimberley and the main town of Broome.

BOB: My name is Bob and I live in Broome, pensioners. I know we have had a recent rise but that was a federal rise and since that time the state government has taken all that off us with water charges, electricity charges, rents going up. It is gone.

REPORTER: Is there any national sort of, or even international issues that concern you?

BOB: Well, yes I do have problems with these illegal immigrants. Not just the boat people, illegal immigrants in general and this business of sending them off shore is not going to do a damn thing, you know. You have got to be stricter with them like John Howard was.

MICK: Howdy, my name is Mick from Broome. I work in small business. We have got a mining boom going on. We've had a mining boom going on for some time now and apparently it is the saviour of Australia.

If it is the saviour of Australia why the hell are we going to import labour when you should be training Australians to do those jobs so that all of that money basically stays in Australia. The Government gets the tax and then all us small businesses get the spend from those guys.

HARRY: Gidday, this is Harry up in Broome. I work at Chinatown Music. I am also a musician. I play a lot of the venues around town.

I'd just like to ask why the Australian Labor Party on the issue of asylum seekers has reverted back to a politics of fear. I don't understand why we are so racist, openly racist towards people that are fleeing persecution and violence in their own country.

TONY EASTLEY: Some of the voters speaking to AM. We can't broadcast all of the opinions from all over the country but we will try and get as many as possible on our web pages along with photos when they're available.